Everything grains Mediterranean stuffed vegetables

An extra healthy dish that happens to be vegan and gluten-free! Full of plant-based protein, this wholesome recipe will become a favorite!

Stuffed Vegetables is maybe one of the most iconic Greek dishes. If I had to choose my top favorites, I would certainly put it side by side with my hardboiled eggs filled meatloaf and my mom’s spaghetti Bolognese. An indication of the popularity this dish has is the fact that there isn’t one Greek kitchen where stuffed vegetables aren’t being made at least 2-3 times every summer. But unfortunately, today’s recipe is not the traditional one! These everything grains stuffed vegetables may be inspired by the well known Greek dish, but they use a variety of grains as a filling in a try to be wholesome, rich in protein and extra healthy!

Of course, this only means that I owe you a post with the genuine, traditional recipe in the time to come 🙂

I‘ve made this dish before with the purpose to post it on the blog, but only the filling. I wanted to name it “everything grains with roasted chickpeas”, but it would just not photograph well. The lack of color didn’t help, the fact that it was winter with little light outside (so I was shooting inside with my DIY studio light – I may have to talk about this in another post) wasn’t helpful either, so I decided to give it a rest.

Then, one day this thought came to my mind.

“What if I stuffed some vegetables with my everything grains recipe?” I thought.

And voilà! A colorful, super healthy, vegan and gluten-free recipe was born!

Just look at those babies! Aren’t they beautiful?

In my initial recipe, I also included some wild rice, but it had to be cooked separately because of the different cooking times. After some thought and harsh internal struggle, I decided to avoid it here, just to make this dish a bit easier, since it already requires some effort due to the vegetables that have to be scooped out. Speaking of, I use a small spoon to do that, but you can also use that special tool for making little balls out of vegetables and fruits (sorry, I always forget how it’s called!)

Some notes/tips:
If you use zucchinis you’ll have to cook them in a pot with boiling water for 5-10 minutes because their skin tends to be a bit tough.
For a prettier presentation, keep in mind which lid belongs to which vegetable.
Use crushed walnuts or almonds instead of sunflower seeds.
Fill the gaps in the pan with potato wedges
This dish is best served with a drizzle of lemon juice over the fillingServe with vegan cheese (or feta if you’re vegetarian)

An extra healthy dish that happens to be vegan and gluten-free! Full of plant-based protein, this wholesome recipe will become a favorite!

Course:
Main Course

Cuisine:
gluten-free, Mediterranean, vegan

Keyword:
grains, healthy, stuffed, vegetables

Servings: 4-5

Author: The Hungry Bites

Ingredients

3tablespoonsolive oil

1/2cupbuckwheat

1/2cupbrown rice

1large onion, chopped

1 -2garlic cloves, chopped

1teaspooncumin

1 1/2teaspoonspaprika

2bay leaves

1cupvegetable stock or water

1 tomato plus the insides of two more tomatoes

1carrot

1/2bunch parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1teaspoonsugar

1 1/2cupscooked chickpeas

4tablespoonsroasted pine nuts

4tablespoonssunflower seeds

4tablespoonsroughly chopped raisins, optional

9large round vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchinis

2-3potatoes in wedges (to fill the gaps between vegetables/0

1/4cupolive oil

Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

Wash and dry the vegetables. Cut the top (lid) with a sharp knife and carefully hollow them with a small spoon or with the special tool (melon baller). Be careful not to break the exterior.

Reserve the inside of two tomatoes and the white stuff of the peppers (if using) and grate them along with the other tomato and the carrot (you can also process everything in a food processor until finely chopped).

Add the olive oil, buckwheat and brown rice in a large pan and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat and add the onion, garlic, cumin, paprika and bay leaves. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

Transfer into a pan, large enough to just fit them, fill the gaps with the potato wedges and pour enough water to be three-quarters of an inch high.

Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, sprinkle with some extra salt the vegetables and the potatoes, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until vegetables are slightly browned on top and the filling is cooked through (about 30-40 minutes more).

Serve with lemon wedges. Eat!

Recipe Notes

If you don’t have roasted pine nuts, roast them quickly in a pan over medium/high heat.If you have some filling left, put it in a ramekin, cover with foil and bake it next to your pan.Sometimes, depending on the pan or the sizes of the wedges, the potatoes need some more baking. If that happens, I transfer them in a smaller pan and continue baking them for additional 10-20 minutes.